Versa buildup in tubing?

[scrapz]

I use my versa by pulling through my calcium reactor. Over the last week, my versa will stop flowing and I would have to run it at 100% to restart the siphon. I don’t know if it’s due to a buildup or just some other issue.

Due to the tubing and cover being clear, there has been a buildup of growth inside my versa tubing. Thankfully I have a ph monitor and trident which allows me to catch it before it drops a whole Dkh point daily before any damage could be done.

Will Ecotech be improving on these units? Seems like a huge design oversight considering these were designed to run calcium reactors.

 

[TheHarold]

Wouldn’t just using it to push through the reactor fix the issue, if it’s a calcium buildup?
Or is it algae growth?

 

[blstravler]

I use my Versa to push to my Reactor. I’ve never heard of anyone having long term success pulling from a reactor using any pump - Versa, Kamore, Toms, etc. I don’t think this is a design flaw - if you have algae growing just shield the front of it from light. Some early Bersa pumps had an issue with the connectors leaking or sucking air - if you have this issue you should be reaching out to customer support they will send you new ones - they have very good customer support.

 

[ca1ore]

I fail to see why pushing versus pulling should affect the performance of a CaRx. Pulling actually isolates the peri tubing from detritus in the feed and maybe extend it’s useful life. Been running mine this way for years.

I tried using the versa on my CaRx and had similar issues with it failing to move water (not the same as the early leaky fittings). Concluded it was not an improvement over my MasterFlex and returned it.

 

[blstravler]

When you pull any of the broke down media can easily get pulled into the tubing and pump and give you problems. If you run your Reactor DKH to high you’ll turn your media into mud and easily clog any pump pulling.

 

[Shinister]

I am having the EXACT same issue. I’ve been using the pump to pull though. It was working fine for a few months and then it would stop flowing. I had some buildup inside the tubing so I cleaned it by running diluted acid through it but it didn’t solve the issue. The only way to restart would be to dismount the tubing assembly, suck water through, and mount it again. This would work for a day and then it would stop again. I opened a ticket with ecotech and they’re sending me a new tubing setup. I doubt it’s the tubing assembly because I dismounted it, blew water/air through it and it would hold pressure but they said it’s the only thing that could be the culprit. I can’t trust this pump as my CalRX pump anymore and can’t return it for a refund so, if the new tubing assembly solves the issue, I’m just gonna use to dose aminos or other non-essential stuff.

 

[blstravler]

I am having the EXACT same issue. I’ve been using the pump to pull though. It was working fine for a few months and then it would stop flowing. I had some buildup inside the tubing so I cleaned it by running diluted acid through it but it didn’t solve the issue. The only way to restart would be to dismount the tubing assembly, suck water through, and mount it again. This would work for a day and then it would stop again. I opened a ticket with ecotech and they’re sending me a new tubing setup. I doubt it’s the tubing assembly because I dismounted it, blew water/air through it and it would hold pressure but they said it’s the only thing that could be the culprit. I can’t trust this pump as my CalRX pump anymore and can’t return it for a refund so, if the new tubing assembly solves the issue, I’m just gonna use to dose aminos or other non-essential stuff.

Why not just try try to push instead?

 

[Shinister]

Why not just try try to push instead?

As @ca1ore mentioned, pulling or pushing shouldn’t make a difference as far as the pump is concerned. I choose to pull so that if there happens to have a clog somewhere, it won’t pressurize the reactor potentially causing it to leak.

 

[blstravler]

As @ca1ore mentioned, pulling or pushing shouldn’t make a difference as far as the pump is concerned. I choose to pull so that if there happens to have a clog somewhere, it won’t pressurize the reactor potentially causing it to leak.

You really think any feed pump could build up enough pressure to have a reactor leak? Once the pressure was high enough the pump would stop pushing and likely fail way before the integrity of the reactor.

 

[ca1ore]

When you pull any of the broke down media can easily get pulled into the tubing and pump and give you problems. If you run your Reactor DKH to high you’ll turn your media into mud and easily clog any pump pulling.

Not in my experience .... and it’s a looong experience LOL. It may be that you ran a poorly designed reactor. I was fortunate to get hooked up with the MTC guys in NJ in the early/mid 1990s and was among the first to run their ProCal. Superb piece of equipment which I just finally retired last year.

 

[blstravler]

Not in my experience .... and it’s a looong experience LOL

As is mine - started in 86.

 

[Shinister]

You really think any feed pump could build up enough pressure to have a reactor leak? Once the pressure was high enough the pump would stop pushing and likely fail way before the integrity of the reactor.

I think it’s a possibility. Especially if using a pump like a masterflex. They got some torque! Or maybe I can mistakenly not have tightened the lid enough or a quick-connect is not in all the way. If pulling, the worst that’ll happen is you’ll lose siphon and it’ll eventually run dry. If pushing, you’ll have a leak.

 

[GoVols]

I tried using the versa on my CaRx and had similar issues with it failing to move water (not the same as the early leaky fittings). Concluded it was not an improvement over my MasterFlex and returned it.

Thank you

Will scratch one Versa off the list and stay with the Sicce .5 as my cal reactor's feed pump.

 

[scrapz]

I

I use my Versa to push to my Reactor. I’ve never heard of anyone having long term success pulling from a reactor using any pump - Versa, Kamore, Toms, etc. I don’t think this is a design flaw - if you have algae growing just shield the front of it from light. Some early Bersa pumps had an issue with the connectors leaking or sucking air - if you have this issue you should be reaching out to customer support they will send you new ones - they have very good customer support.

Ive run pumpless for years without cconsistent clogging like this. I ran a kamoer a year before switching without issue. My buddy’s all run pull without issue in their kamoer/masterflex.

In my opinion, It is a huge design flaw oversight that the cover allows light in which can cause algae or coralline to grow within the tubing. LIGHT + saturated chemicals = food for algae = coraine growth. kamoer design flaw was that their head was not covered which allowed dust to buildup in the rollers causing premature wearing if. The heads weren’t kept clean.

This is why smart buyers always stay away this is gen1 because we are the real beta testers. In house testing probably had more to do with how long the pumps ran and other basic app functions. Real world testers like us can actually present problems like the one in mentioning. Being that this controls such a CRUCIAL lifeblood to our system, all issues need to be reported and the unit needs to be perfect for all of us.

Just remember these are assembled in the US and after endless testing, we ended up with pumps that couldn’t even hold anything right out of the box.

I never stated their customer service was anything but spectactular. Ecotech will fix the problems and improve like they did with their earlier products but only with feedback like this.

 

[scrapz]

Not in my experience .... and it’s a looong experience LOL. It may be that you ran a poorly designed reactor. I was fortunate to get hooked up with the MTC guys in NJ in the early/mid 1990s and was among the first to run their ProCal. Superb piece of equipment which I just finally retired last year.

If my system was smaller, I would still be using the miniCAL that’s in my closet. Solid product.

 

[scrapz]

I use my Versa to push to my Reactor. I’ve never heard of anyone having long term success pulling from a reactor using any pump - Versa, Kamore, Toms, etc. I don’t think this is a design flaw - if you have algae growing just shield the front of it from light. Some early Bersa pumps had an issue with the connectors leaking or sucking air - if you have this issue you should be reaching out to customer support they will send you new ones - they have very good customer support.

So I should take my piece of equipment that was designed to be mounted and put it in a light proof box or wrap something around it just so I could have it work without issues....MAYBE?

Honestly we don’t even know if that’s the reason why it’s losing siphon, just speculation

 

[ca1ore]

If my system was smaller, I would still be using the miniCAL that’s in my closet. Solid product.

what unit are you running?

 

[scrapz]

what unit are you running?

MRC CR-6

 

[GoVols]

I am having the EXACT same issue. I’ve been using the pump to pull though. It was working fine for a few months and then it would stop flowing. I had some buildup inside the tubing so I cleaned it by running diluted acid through it but it didn’t solve the issue. The only way to restart would be to dismount the tubing assembly, suck water through, and mount it again. This would work for a day and then it would stop again. I opened a ticket with ecotech and they’re sending me a new tubing setup. I doubt it’s the tubing assembly because I dismounted it, blew water/air through it and it would hold pressure but they said it’s the only thing that could be the culprit. I can’t trust this pump as my CalRX pump anymore and can’t return it for a refund so, if the new tubing assembly solves the issue, I’m just gonna use to dose aminos or other non-essential stuff.

Did EcoTech advice to push when using for a cal reactor with the Versa pump?

 

[GoVols]

if you have this issue you should be reaching out to customer support they will send you new ones - they have very good customer support.

I reached out to one of EcoTech's support team on Reef 2 Reef on March the 15th in a PM, not even a blink at a reply after a month of waiting for a response. Even at that customer support, I left that pm on the highest regards possible.

I also reached out staight to EcoTech way before that PM, only to get vague answers in their response.

Edit:
So, I was left to do all the research on my own.

To me this entire launch has been using buyers as an mass beta testing group.

There is no other way to explain it.